The victory was extremely gratifying for Bishop Montgomery which lost twice last season to Chino Hills, the defending California state champs.

“I don’t know if we were ready to do it last year,” Bishop Montgomery head coach Doug Mitchell told dailybreeze.com. “But this team is very mature and very tough.”

Bishop Montgomery (29-2) will face Mater Dei (33-2) in the CIF regional final on Saturday at The Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.

Last year LaMelo Ball along with his brothers, 6-5 UCLA freshman shooting guard Lonzo Ball, and HS senior LiAngelo, led USA Today No. 1 ranked Chino Hills to a 35-0 record and the 2016 California CIF State Open Division Championship.